Monday, November 29, 2010

Expect a flood of investigations initiated by Representative Darrel Issa (R-CA) when he assumes the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. His stated goal is for the government "to go on a diet":

The Republican who will lead the chief investigative committee in the House is planning to vastly expand scrutiny of the Obama administration by seeking new subpoena powers for dozens of federal agency watchdogs in hopes of using their investigations and his own in an aggressive push to cut spending and shrink the government.

OK, how about we start by cutting and shrinking the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee? Whoa! That's not the idea, according to Issa:

But even before he sets after the executive branch, Mr. Issa is fighting a more immediate battle, preventing cuts to his own committee by Republican leaders. “That’s a case I have to make,” Mr. Issa said in a speech to investigators, auditors and prosecutors at a conference on fraud prevention in Philadelphia this month. “I have already made it to Leader Boehner and Eric Cantor,” he said, “that oversight on my committee cannot be cut just to make some symbolic statement, that I am going to need the resources.”

I see. To cut Issa's committee would merely be a symbolic show. He needs money and resources for his government committee to go after the money and resources of other government committees.